Research Projects

The Smc5/6 complex is a crucial protein for maintaining chromosome stability, recovery from replication stress, and DNA double strand breaks. It consists of Smc5, Smc6, and six Nse subunits. In budding yeast, the conserved RING-domain-containing protein Nse1 is associated with Nse3, Nse4, and the SUMO ligase Nse2/Mms21 binds the coiled-coil region of Smc5. The Smc5/6 complex binds chromosomes at centromeres, arms, and rDNA, and is recruited to double strand breaks and collapsed replication forks. This project aims to explore additional requirements for the association of the Smc5/6 complex with chromosomes in budding yeast. The study will test whether the Nse1 RING domain function and the Nse3 subunit are important for the association of the Smc5/6 complex with chromosomes genome-wide during the mitotic cell cycle and its requirement for chromosome segregation. The study will also assess the contribution of chromosome size on the distribution of the Smc5/6 complex along chromosomes and investigate the interplay between Smc5/6 complex chromosomal association and other Smc complexes in budding yeast.